Manufacture of g lass-i nsu l ate d telegraph-wires



(No Model.)

, VWH. MAXWELL. y Manufacture of Glass Insulated Telegraph Wires. No, 243,282.`

Patented June .21, 1881.r

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

IVILLIAW Il. MAXIVELIJ, (JF flfIULLIPSBURG, ASSIGNOI-t F T\\'O-Tlllltl)S T() A S. TOMPKINSON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MANUFACTURE OF GLASS-INSULATED TELEGRAPH-WIRES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 243,282, dated June 2l, 1881.

Application filed March 12, 1881. (No model.)

To all whomit muy concern:

.Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. MAXWELL, of Phillipsburg, in the county ot' Beaver and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and' useful Improvement iu llIanuf'acture ot" Glass-Insulated Telegrapli-Vilires; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof'.

In the manufacture of glass-insulated wire for underground telegraph purposes it is desirable to put the glass upon the wire or wires in such a way that it shall not be fractured or broken and expose the Wire or wires to the access of water or moisture that may penetrate 1 5 the outer box or casing. Incased wire has been produced by surrounding` it with a glass tube and the glass tube by an iron one, and then heating the Whole and drawing it out to the required length; also, by placing the wires be- 2o tween plates of glass and heating and uniting` them by pressure. The article thus produced has not as yet been putinto general use, principally for the reason ofthe great expense attending its manufacture, with the additional reason as against the iirst form described that the glass is generally fractured or crizzled77 by the treatment it receives, and is liable to admit moisture to t-he wires in case any penetrates or enters the outer metallic casing, and thereby destroy the insulation. It has also been proposed to draw the Wires th rough molten glass and so coat the1n.

My invention consists otan improved method of produciu g the said wire or wire cable, whereby the glass is preserved in a proper condition, and which is sufficiently cheap and simple to enable it to be made cheap enough for common use.

To enable others skilled in the art to malte and use my invention, I will describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- 4 Figure 1 is a perspective view of one-half of a mold for practicing my invention. Fig. 2 is a section ot the same. Fig. 3 is another form of mold. Fig. t is a view of a glass-incased Wire cable, and Fig. 5 is a View of a glass and metal incased cable.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in each.

The mold a (shown by Figs. l and 2) is a vertical mold, formed of two parts, hinged at a and fastened at a2, having a cylindrical cavity, a?, and tiariug mouth w. It is provided with a dovetal groove, b, which closes around the correspondingshaped bottoni d, but is su fciently deep to permit the placing ot' a disk, c, between the bottom andthe shoulders ofthe groove. rlhe disk c is perforated, and is designed for the attachment of the wires c, which are coiled on a suitable reel or drum above the mold, and are drawn down and attached to the disk by passing them through the holes c and giving the endsa twist. The disk is placed ou the bottom d, the mold closed around it, and by turning the reel the wires drawn straight, and then they are ready for the application ci' the glass. The latter is melted, and when in a suiiiciently duid condition is run or cast into the mold directly from a suitable cupola, pot, or inelting-fmnace, or by the use oi' a ladle.

The mold may, il` desired, be rotated or oscillated on its vertical axis, to prevent sticking or mold-marks, or the sides may be coated with a suitable coating, such as is used in glassmolds, or maybe lined with strips ot' sheet-iron, asbestus-cloth, or othersuitable in aterial. rIhis method is not applicable to the use ot' wires made of copper or other easily-fused metal or metallic alloy. Then such wire is used I place glass tubesfou the Wires and then cast the molten glass upon them, as described.

Where it is designed to produce metal-incased glass-insulated wire the glass tubes f are also used, the metal, whether iron or other metal, being poured in as described with relation to the glass. When metal is used the mold should be Water-cooled. I prefer for this purpose a solid mold with regular cavity.

Instead of having both diskc and bottom d, the disk may constitute the only bottom. In such case, if the mold is solid, the wires would have to be drawn through the mold before being attached to the disk. This is not necessary if the mold is partible.

Fig. 3 shows a horizontal mold ior casting the casing. I-u this case the ends ot the Wires are secured to aperforated plate, g, placed in each end of the mold. The glass or metal is poured in through a suitable gate, It. Any

other suitable way of securing, placing, or stretching the Wires in the mold may be used. The purpose is to have them straight. Thus the glass may be cast in und around thc wires 5 and form it perfect union therewith. YVhcn the glass tubes are used they are not fractured by the casting` operation, but are softened externally, and, fusing, unite with the east metal or glass. The method is cheap, simple, und 1o easy. After being removed from the mold the article should be properly annealed.

What I claim :Ls my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The method of forming glass-neased wire 15 or Wires, consisting of stretching them in nmold and casting the molten gloss around them, substantially as und for the purposes described.

2. The method of forming; glass-insulated telegraph Wire or wires, consisting of placing zo glass tubes on the wires7 stretching them in :L mold, and casting' glass or metal in and around the glass tubes, substantially :is described.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hund.

VLTJA M vl-I. MAXWTELL.

Witnesses:

T. .13. KERR, J. K. SMITH.

It is hereby oertied that in Letters Patent. No. 243,232, granted June 21, 1881, upon the application of William HMaxwelk for an improvenientJ in the Manufacture of Glass-Insulated Telegraph-Wires, the name of the assignee of two-thirds interest was erroneously written and printed therein A. S. Tompkinsong that che correct, name is A. S. Tomkinsong that the proper eorreebions have been made in the lee and records pertaining to the case in the Patent Oce, and are hereby made in said Letters Patent.

Signed, conntersgned, and sealed this 28th dey of June, A. D. 1831.

A. BELL, Acting Secreta-ry of the Interior.

[SELL] Countersigned: A

MARBLE, Gommssoner of Patents. 

